Alleged Theater Shooter Was Awarded NIH Grant

AURORA, COLORADO (WUSA)-- Aurora, Colorado is a community that's just beginning to absorb the magnitude of what happened there. The shock seems to be wearing off and raw grief, taking over.

But there is a welcome sign of hope amidst the overwhelming grief. The mother of the 6 year-old girl killed in the massacre is reportedly pregnant. Despite being shot in the abdomen and paralyzed, the baby is said to be alright.

A memorial is steps away from the place where all innocence was lost. The unthinkable crime that made even a night at the movies no longer feel safe.

"It just hurts, even if you don't know them that well," saidBrenda Maldonado, who came to pay her respects.

The roadside tributes are growing by the hour. A patchwork of flowers, stuffed animals and candles.

"It's a way to share our love and bring the community together that we don't let this tear the community down and make us stop living," said Maldonado.

The swell of emotion comes as new information about the suspect emerges. 9 News has learned that James Holmes was awarded a prestigious grant from the National Institutes of Health. It gave the graduate student a $26,000 stipend and paid his tuition for the highly competitive program in neuroscience at the University of Colorado in Denver.

It is difficult even to consider that taxpayer dollars may have helped fund his alleged rampage.